Science and Plants for Schools – Student Project Starter
Catechol Oxidase Activity in Fruits and Vegetables
This is a project starter, suitable for Advanced Higher biology investigations or A-level
extended projects. Don’t forget to credit this resource in your bibliography by including the
title, the website, the web address and the date you accessed it.
Background information
Catechol oxidase (also called polyphenoloxidase) is an enzyme found in a
wide variety of plants. It is responsible for the darkening observed when
many fruits or vegetables are cut or bruised.
Catechol oxidase catalyses the reaction of catechol, which is colourless, to
the yellow compound, ortho-quinone (o-quinone). o-quinone then reacts with
oxygen in the air to form brown-black compounds called melanins.
OH
O
OH
0.5 O2
Catechol (colourless
in aqueous solution)
O
Catechol
oxidase
Polymerisation
Melanins
H2O
o-quinone
(yellow solution)
(Brown/black)
Catechol is present in small quantities in the vacuoles of cells of many plant
tissues. Catechol oxidase is present in the cell cytoplasm. If the plant tissues
are damaged, the catechol is released and the enzyme converts the catechol
to ortho-quinone, which is a natural antiseptic. Catechol oxidase therefore
has a role in plant defence mechanisms, helping to protect damaged plants
against both bacterial and fungal disease.
It has been suggested that the quantity of catechol oxidase produced by a
plant may be related to its susceptibility to fungal infection.
Catechol oxidase activity is also of economic importance. It has been
estimated that half the world’s fruit and vegetable crop is lost due to postharvest browning reactions due to the enzyme.
An investigation from Science & Plants for Schools, www.saps.org.uk/students
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Technical information
A student who does a project to investigate catechol oxidase activity in plant
tissues is likely to need the following equipment and materials
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samples of fruit or vegetable (about 8 g)
10 cm3 distilled water
a little sand
mortar and pestle
piece of muslin
small beaker
centrifuge (optional)
centrifuge tubes (optional)
marker pen
buffer solution, pH 7
0.09 M (1%) catechol solution
1 x 10 cm3 syringe
2 x 1 cm3 syringes
colorimeter with 440 nm filter
Preparation of Materials
Catechol oxidase has a shelf life of only 2-3 days and should be stored in the
dark.
An investigation from Science & Plants for Schools, www.saps.org.uk/students
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Starter experiment
Introduction
The enzyme, catechol oxidase, can be extracted from plant tissues by simply
grinding plant tissue with a little sand and distilled water, then filtering or
centrifuging. Enzyme is present in the liquid extract. Catechol oxidase
activity can then be estimated by measuring the rate of colour formation on
adding the enzyme to its substrate, catechol in buffer. A colorimeter is used
to measure absorbance at 440 nm.
Enzyme activity starts immediately on addition of the enzyme so you must be
prepared to start measuring the absorbance.
Materials
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samples of fruit or vegetable (about 8 g)
10 cm3 distilled water
a little sand
mortar and pestle
piece of muslin
small beaker
centrifuge tubes
marker pen
buffer solution, pH 7
0.09 M (1%) catechol solution
1 x 10 cm3 syringe
2 x 1 cm3 syringes
Stop-clock
Colorimeter with 440 nm filter
Cuvette
Instructions
1. Mash the fruit, sand and water together thoroughly using a mortar and
pestle.
2. Strain the mixture through muslin into a beaker (moisten the muslin first to
speed up the filtering process).
Note: the enzyme, catechol oxidase is present in the clear liquid in the
beaker. With some fruits and vegetables, it may be necessary to
centrifuge the strained liquid to remove the solids. In this instance, pour
the strained liquid into a centrifuge tube and centrifuge for about three
minutes.
3
Use a syringe to add 10 cm3 buffer solution to a boiling tube.
An investigation from Science & Plants for Schools, www.saps.org.uk/students
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4
Add 1 cm3 catechol solution to the boiling tube.
5
Prepare a table to record your results showing time in seconds and
absorbance at 440nm.
6
Fill a cuvette with water and place in the colorimeter. Calibrate it to zero.
7
Add 1 cm3 enzyme solution (extracted from the fruit or vegetable) to the
boiling tube and start the stop-clock.
8
Immediately transfer the solution to a cuvette and record the absorbance
at 440 nm every 30 s for five minutes.
Possible project titles
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Investigate the catechol oxidase content of a given fruit at different stages
of ripeness.
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Investigate the catechol oxidase content of different varieties of the same
fruit.
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Investigate the catechol oxidase content of different fruits.
Resource list
Further information and sample projects are available from the SAPS
Biotechnology Scotland Project – 0131 558 8212
SAPS website: www.saps.org.uk
An investigation from Science & Plants for Schools, www.saps.org.uk/students
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